Dino Rossi/20080629
Debunking Rossi, June 29, 2008 Help me check the facts on this article, and get the deeper story of the claims that he makes, and why the progressive/liberal approach is better than his conservative/idiotic approach. *Source: http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/insight/story/400340.html section 1 In this election you have a choice between the incumbent, a 39-year state employee who has a 29 percent rating with AWB and me, a small businessman who in my last year in the state Senate earned a perfect score from AWB for my work in the state Senate. Which of us do you think will be better for business in our state? Will you partner with me to make Washington the best state in the country to start a business, and the worst state in America to be a criminal? Every day, I meet with people across the state and I feel their passion for change. Voters here believe that Olympia needs to change – just like Washington, D.C. That’s why over 35,000 people have already donated to my campaign – that’s more donors than we had in the entire 2004 election I’m running for governor of Washington to improve the climate for small and medium-sized businesses. As governor, I will rein in out-of-control spending and start actually fixing problems … for a change. section 2 Washington has one of the nation’s highest small-business failure rates. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s time to focus on key business climate issues that will turn Washington into an entrepreneurial state. I support increasing the small business B&O tax credit, repealing the estate tax passed in 2005, reducing workers’ compensation rates, reducing the number of health care mandates, and providing tax incentives to companies that offer health insurance for employees. These meaningful reforms will only happen with a new governor. I also have a very different approach to budgeting. Over the last three years, Christine Gregoire has increased state spending by 33 percent and raised taxes by over $500 million. Her overspending has created more than a $2.5 billion deficit in the next biennium. Her only answer to the deficit will be higher taxes; my answer will be to control spending, because higher taxes will drive more companies out of business or out of state. section 3 I come from a business background, and as chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee I faced a huge deficit but still wrote a balanced budget without raising taxes while still protecting our most vulnerable citizens. I am the candidate capable of writing a socially responsible budget that does not harm businesses. Making Washington more business-friendly goes beyond fiscal policies and taxes. It’s also about improving the lives of people employed by businesses, and their families. That is why I have made improving transportation, public safety, and education cornerstone issues in my campaign. Governors in other states are making progress on traffic congestion relief, but not here. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, congestion on our highways costs our economy more than $600 million each year. By neglecting our transportation system, we’re keeping our foot on Washington’s economic airhose. That is why we recently unveiled a $15 billion statewide transportation plan to alleviate the worst traffic chokepoints in Washington state. In this plan, we outlined nine major congestion relief projects across the state that we will address immediately once I am governor. section 4 The plan also invests $500 million towards other transportation projects that are now unfunded, underfunded, or delayed, $368 million towards funding the gap in the state’s Ferry Capital Account, and $200 million to fix salmon-blocking culverts around the state that will open up over 2,300 miles of salmon habitat. We’ll also provide incentives for people to buy hybrid or electric cars. By promoting new technology we can reduce emissions and help keep our environment clean. Most importantly, we have a plan to pay for these projects. Our common-sense funding plan will use 40 percent of the sales tax on new and used vehicles, the money saved by eliminating the sales tax we’re charging ourselves on transportation projects, a portion of the Sound Transit subarea equity, and affordable tolling ($1.50 on the new 520 bridge, once completed). It’s time we had a plan to move our transportation system forward. section 5 Washington needs to drastically improve the way it protects its citizens from violent criminals. Since 2005 we’ve seen the tragic results of our state’s poor public safety policies, including: * The early release of more than 30,000 violent felons. :Trying to find where he got the 3,000 number. :*Early-release felon held in Federal Way rape, assault :Under a program that's been in effect for about five years, conditional releases are used for felons who have been arrested for violating terms of their release. Under the program, felons assigned to the community-corrections division are released before a hearing on the violation — as long as they admit they did it. :Conditional releases can be ordered only for inmates whose new offenses are considered minor — such as missing a meeting with their community corrections officer — and with the agreement of the officer. And there may be a penalty, such as being required to meet more frequently with the community-corrections officer or undergo drug or alcohol treatment. :Last year, the agency ordered 3,144 conditional releases. None of the offenders was released because of jail overcrowding, DOC spokesman Jeff Weathersby said. :Source: State DOC resumes early felon releases * The killing of three law enforcement officers by early-release felons. :Seattle police officers Joselito Barber and Beth Nowak and King County Sheriff's Deputy Steve Cox were killed last year in three separate incidents. :State Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, said offenders who violate the terms of their prison release should be punished more severely. :"If we can find $1.2 billion to spend on schools I think we can find another $20 million to keep kids safe. Or whatever it takes," Carrell said. "This has got to be about keeping people safe. Felons are laughing at the system." :Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003592839_doc28m.html * Serious attacks on other citizens by these early-release offenders. * The state losing track of more than 1,300 sex offenders allowed to register as “homeless.” When I am governor, we will keep violent felons off the street, give law enforcement the tools they need to succeed and protect our children from sex offenders. section 6 Governors in other states are reforming education and helping prepare students for global competition. More money is spent in education each year here, but is it spent effectively to give our children what they need to be competitive in life? We have a plan to make several meaningful education reforms, including replacing the WASL with America’s best standardized test and requiring students to meet fair and rigorous standards to graduate. The incumbent still supports the failed WASL test with no math and science requirement. With education, we need to make changes that are in the best interest of students. With your support, we can turn Washington into an entrepreneurial state for businesses of all sizes. Together, we can make Washington the best state in America to start a business, and the worst state in America to be a criminal. Dino Rossi lost to then-Attorney General Chris Gregoire in the 2004 governor’s race, which was decided after two recounts and a court hearing.